John 11:49 (YLT)

Passage

and a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being chief priest of that year, said to them, `Ye have not known anything,

Nearby Context

John 11:47 the chief priests, therefore, and the Pharisees, gathered together a sanhedrim, and said, `What may we do? because this man doth many signs?

John 11:48 if we may let him alone thus, all will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and will take away both our place and nation.'

John 11:49 and a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being chief priest of that year, said to them, `Ye have not known anything,

John 11:50 nor reason that it is good for us that one man may die for the people, and not the whole nation perish.'

John 11:51 And this he said not of himself, but being chief priest of that year, he did prophesy that Jesus was about to die for the nation,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "certain", "caiaphas", "chief", "priest", "year", "said", "known", and "anything". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "certain" and "caiaphas", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 48's "if we may let him alone thus..." into verse 50's "nor reason that it is good for...", so "certain" and "caiaphas" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "certain" and "caiaphas" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.